I had spent many hours looking for it, to no avail. On my last attempt, I invited my granddaughter to go with me. I admit that it was a bit self-serving, because that girl flies around the rocks like a spider monkey flies through the trees.
you might want to embiggen this one to see how jumbled this area is
I had it narrowed down to a fairly manageable area that looked pretty much like this, only larger.
Once we got there, I turned her loose.
She climbs up
She climbs down
She disappears into the cracks like a reptile. Then she yells out my name.
This is where she was standing. Do you see the door? No wonder nobody can find this place. It's not only hidden, it is also hidden in the shadows.
A very narrow entrance to get to a hidden iron door that opens into exactly what?
Tay is already in there with her flashlight.
Okay, now to the legend. As you can see the iron door locks from the outside by sliding a length of wood through it when the door is closed. There is no way of opening it from the inside. The room is about 8 by 10 feet in size and has no windows. There is one small opening built into it though. Just big enough to pass small things in and out.
The LEGEND is that this cave was used by the local rancher/miner big-shot (William Keys) to keep his schizophrenic son imprisoned. Others say that it was used to store dynamite. Others still, claim that it was used for both purposes at the same time. Either way, it is darn creepy. Not quite to an "oh shite" level, but, but still plenty creepy. The thought of his already impaired son, being isolated in this creepy little cave, getting more and more insane as time passes, is enough to freak anybody out. Truth or fiction? I have no idea, but I do know the cave exists and I also know that it looks more like a holding cell, than a place to store TNT.
Lots of graffiti in here and maybe even some petroglyphs. I haven't examined the place (or my photos) enough to find any yet.
Tay
This thing looks like it is about to eat whoever walks by.
Pretty creepy, yeah?
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